Well, I have finished it! A book by David Remnick titled The Bridge – The Life and Rise of Barack Obama. Took a while. It’s a big book, 586 pages of text in hard cover, plus notes and an index. I have 3 friends on the list to read it next.
This book will be a gold mine, a treasure trove, for future Obama writers and biographers. Obama himself may use it when he does his own memoir(s) – which I am sure he will do, since he is such a great writer himself.
The book gave me the back story and filled in the blanks on so many parts of Barack’s early life, and so many events during these last few political years. It’s very strong on his childhood and youth, as well as his educational journey, both internally and externally. And those years in the Illinois state legislature, which were never quite clear to me, are clear now.
It’s written with some sympathy and understanding, but is mostly a clear eyed look at this multi-faceted man’s many choices, and the context of those choices – a story of how Obama literally made himself into what he wanted to be.
A great set of lessons and how-to’s for all of us navigating this culture and our own lives. This is one of the few books, that if it doesn’t come back to me after being lent out – I Will go after it. : >
(p.s. I also blogged my thoughts on the book as I was reading it – just a few weeks ago.)